North Bergen man charged with masturbating in Hoboken park: cops

A 30-year-old North Bergen man was caught masturbating in public in a Hoboken park near 801 Sinatra Drive on Saturday, Nov. 16.Google Maps

A 30-year-old North Bergen man has been charged with masturbating twice at a Hoboken park where children were playing, Hoboken police said.

A Staten Island woman was jogging in Skate Park on Sinatra Drive near Second Street Saturday when she saw a man later identified as Francisco E. Peraza-Morales, masturbating in the passenger's seat of his car, with his sweat pants pulled down to his knees, a police report said.

The woman called police, who arrived at the park just as Peraza-Morales was leaving the parking lot, the report stated.

An officer pulled his police cruiser in front of the Peraza-Morales' car to prevent him from escaping and two women told police that Peraza-Morales had just been standing on the sidewalk in the park with his pants down and masturbating, police said.

Two Jersey City men in the park with their kids said they saw a man fitting Peraza-Morales' description taking photos earlier, the report said.

Hoboken Detective Jeff Lehbrink said the children in the park did not see Peraza-Morales committing any lewd acts.

At the scene, officers also discovered that Peraza-Morales' driver's license was suspended and that he had parked illegally, officers said. His car was towed, the report stated.

Peraza-Morales was charged with two counts of sexual assault and two
counts of endangering the welfare of children, the report stated. At police headquarters, he denied allegations that he had masturbated in public and demanded to have an attorney represent him, Lehbrink said.